The present invention relates generally to the field of flow control valves and the construction thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a rotary gate valve that provides faster operation and occupies less vertical space within a process pipeline.
Flow control valves such as, for example, knife gate valves or line blind valves, are used to control the flow of process media and can be particularly well suited for use with abrasive and corrosive slurries used in, for example, the mining, pulp or paper industries. One form of gate valve known in the art includes a housing and passageway therethrough. On opposite sides of the housing are connections for installing the valve in a pipe line, for example, the housing can be bolted to a flange end of a pipe. To control the flow of fluid through the valve, the valve includes a knife gate that is disposed within the valve body. In operation, when the knife gate is raised vertically, the valve is open and process media flows through the passageway. When the knife gate is lowered vertically, the valve is closed and process media is prevented from flowing through the passageway. Because typical knife gate valves operate vertically, actuators must be mounted on top of the gate valve. This requires significant space above the valve for the actuator and valve package in an already crowded process pipeline environment. Thus, there is a need for a gate valve that operates quicker than existing gate valves while reducing valve package vertical space requirements.